Kaiju No. 8 was one of my favourite anime from last year. The kaiju fights were amazing, but what kept me invested across the 12 episodes was the characters and their relationships. Production I.G did a masterful job of balancing these two aspects, resulting in a well-rounded season of anime. With Season 2 around the corner, we’ve been treated to a special recap film, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon. This film recaps the first season and includes a bonus special titled “Hoshina’s Day Off.” But is this recap film a good starting point for beginners, and is there any reason for fans to re-experience the same content with a small bonus? Time to find out.
The bulk of Mission Recon serves as a recap of Season 1 of Kaiju No. 8, covering the major events to provide a refresher before Season 2 drops later this year. We once again see Kafka Hibino (Nazeeh Tarsha, Masaya Fukunishi) reignite his dream of joining the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defence Force (JAKDF) to join his childhood friend, Mina Ashiro (Katelyn Barr, Asami Seto), and fight by her side. The film covers Kafka’s meeting with Reno Ichikawa (Adam McArthur, Wataru Kato), his final attempt to join the JAKDF, and how he was transformed into the titular Kaiju No. 8. The story is just as enjoyable this second time around, and getting a cliff notes version for fans who’ve already seen the show is nice. Still, it does leave a few parts out that I believe are sorely missed.
The most significant parts they cut to get this film under two hours were many character interactions outside of the major events. I loved all the little interactions between the characters, such as Kafka’s first meeting with Kikoru Shinomiya (Abigail Blythe, Fairouz Ai) at the test site or walking in on Vice-Captain Hoshina (Landon McDonald, Kengo Kawanishi) training at night. I can see why these were omitted, but it still hurts to see them tossed aside.
The other part that frankly shocked me that it wasn’t included: almost everything to do with Kaiju No. 9 (Alejandro Saab, Hiroyuki Yoshino), who plays a significant role in several episodes. Aside from a brief introduction, we don’t see much of them at all. I’m mostly talking about not seeing his fight with Kafka, which establishes a lot about No. 9’s motivations and personality, and without that, the middle part of this film felt a bit hollow. I still enjoyed experiencing this story again; I just wish it were a bit longer to include some of these elements.
The new content in Mission Recon is a special episode titled “Hoshina’s Day Off.” The premise is that every member of the Third Division of the JAKDF has the day off and is free to do as they please. With Kafka in bed with a stomach ache, Reno struggles to find something to do. That is until he makes a bet with Iharu Furuhashi (Ben Georg Stegmair, Yuuki Shin) to figure out what Vice-Captain Hoshina is up to today. What follows is Reno and Iharu tailing Hoshina throughout the city, trying to figure out what mysterious business their Vice-Captain is up to on his day off.
I loved every second of this special, and it made me enjoy Mission Recona a lot more. I adore it when mostly serious anime have a goofy slice-of-life episode, and this is no exception. Seeing these relatively serious characters navigate classic slice-of-life situations, such as deciding what to buy for a camping trip or spending time in a park, was an experience that I would never say no to. I also appreciated more Hoshina content, particularly when he interacts with the entire Third Division. The chemistry these characters have is undeniable and leads to laughs and a heartfelt moment at the end. This special alone made seeing Mission Recon worthwhile.
But now the big question: can I start Kaiju No. 8 with Mission Recon? My answer to that is no, primarily because of the content they cut out of the recap. If you’re fresh to the series, you’ll miss out on a lot of character development, the introduction of the (presumed) main antagonist, and the final two episodes aren’t even included! You’d be entering Season 2 with gaps in your knowledge that will most likely affect your enjoyment of the series. Now, if you’ve already seen Season 1, Mission Recon is an excellent refresher before Season 2, and the added special will give you more time with the characters we all love. It’s unfortunate that it’s not beginner-friendly, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad.
Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon is a decent recap for fans of the series with extra content that they’ll love. You’ll be reminded of most of the important info you’ll need before Season 2, and even have some slice-of-life fun times with these characters. It’s a shame, then, that I can’t recommend this to newcomers due to the recap not covering everything. But that just means that you need to watch Season 1 first, then Mission Recon, and then finally start Season 2. Trust me, it’s worth it.
Have you seen Kaiju No. 8 Mission Recon? What did you think? Have you seen the series before? Let us know in the comments where we can discuss which member of the Third Division is the best (it’s Hoshina).
